Ballito Dolphins making a splash

The Ballito Dolphins rugby club tackled their first Junior Rugby Tournament as hosts on Sunday, June 14, at Crawford North Coast as they tried to convert young passion for rugby into young players for the club.

The day was received as a resounding success by the 1 500 moms, dads and little rugby enthusiasts who attended the rugby festival.

Stands including Dunkin’ Donuts, Spur and Freddo’s Ice Cream sold an assortment of edibles to the hungry crowd, but the day was defined by the rugby.

All junior age-groups took part, with four divisions representing clubs across the region at U6/7, U8, U9 and U10/11 levels competing.

Vice chairman of the Ballito Dolphins, Mark Svenningsen said the event was the first of its kind to be held in Ballito in more than five years and that they had launched the tournament in order to celebrate youth rugby while growing the sport locally.

“We are looking to recruit high school players to make up our Colts squad and if enough players are sourced, we will be hosting the first Colts tournament of its kind here in Ballito,” said Svenningsen.

The all round rugby fanatic said club rugby plays an important role in the continued growth of the sport because with rugby still developing at many of the local schools, rugby is not played as competitively as it is at schools such as Kearsney College or Glenwood High School.

“This gives young rugby players the chance to play competitively for the sheer love of the game,” said Svenningsen.

“Schools and universities are the main feeders of players to the professional clubs in this country and as a result, independent clubs are taking a hiding when it comes to players being recruited.”

Svenningsen is currently in his first year of involvement at the club and has restarted the juniors league after it “fizzled out” four years ago in 2011.

“Both my sons played and I want the same opportunities to be on offer to the many youngsters passionate about the game”.

Proud sponsors of the rugby festival were Rossi and the company’s SA managing director, Kyle Dick, who is also the proud father of two boys, Bevan and Troy in the U7 and U10/11 categories, respectively.

He said he hopes the festival continues to pick up as the sport continues to grow.

“Colts training at the Ballito Dolphins begins on Friday, June 26,” said Svenningsen, who also wishes to recruit players from the more disadvantaged areas as a way of further inflating enthusiasm for the game of rugby in our area.